Tank On Second Floor???!!!

nanoreefsrcool · 11-22-2008, 04:44 PM

do any one have a 200 plus gallon reef on the second floor? is it safe ?

anyhelp appreciated

thanks

SeaLover · 11-22-2008, 04:49 PM

lol...I bet you need to find out how ur house was built and how much the flooring can hold. I know my husband barely let me have my 75 gallon when it was on the second floor. now on the first. The house we live in now is built 16 on center.

ReefGuy69 · 11-22-2008, 05:32 PM

I remember about 1yr ago someone looking into the same thing. From what i remember they were told as long as its an outside wall you should be ok. or if you can find a supporting beam or post used for the inner walls, but that could be tricky. So i think the last person went with an outside wall. Is this your own home or an apartment? If its an apartment i would say dont even attempt it. Sooner or later you will get a leak, or overfill or get a stray hose or something to flood the lower level. if its your own place and your ok with that then go for it. if not i would go smaller or wait till you get your own place or move to the 1st floor before setting it up.

jski711 · 11-22-2008, 08:41 PM

before anything try and find out info on the floor!! 200g+ is a huge tank and i would be hesitant unless if was a new building that has concrete floor!!!

Midnight · 11-22-2008, 09:25 PM

build it into the wall lol easy fix.

E46er · 11-22-2008, 10:00 PM

its a huge amount of weight over a massive amount of square inches
ie my friends 220 G is 6x2x2.5 so its a 12 square foot space 12 square feet is 1728 square inches. 220G times 7.48 is 1646 pounds
1728 / 1645 = 1.0498 pSI now for comparison your 115 pound girly friend or wife wearing high heels or stilettos with lets say a heel that is 1 square inch and for stilettos its probably a 1/4 inch but at 1 square inch heel your looking at 115 psi
have your lady friend walk on your floor in heels unless the heels break threw your fine

Smiley1 · 11-22-2008, 10:21 PM

serious things you need to think about....

location of load bearing walls.

direction floor joists are running.

foot print of aquarium.

keeping these things in mind, you shouldnt have a problem with structural issues unless your hous was built prior to 1970 or so. The psi isnt a big issue as long as your tank isnt placed directly in the center of the room below it. If by chance there is a wall directly under the tank, then you will have no issues period. you will even have a great spot to run plumbing to the basement for a sump if you so desire.

one thing that stops most people from putting an aquarium on the second floor is the fact that dragging all that water up stairs to do water changes over a period of time will make you reconsider the second floor. If its a 10g aquarium, then you wont even think about it. but when you get to bigger tanks and bigger water changes.... that 50 gallons of water in 10 jugs of 5g each will equal about 5 trips up and down stairs just to lug the water up. Also think about the problem that if you plumbing breaks and pumps water all over the floor, you are not only damaging the floor, but the ceiling of the room below, its floor, and whatever else it may come in contact with. And let me tell you...... replacing drywall on a ceiling really sucks.

11-22-2008, 04:44 PM	#1 (permalink)
nanoreefsrcool Cabbage Leather Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 360 View Gallery Karma Komment	Tank On Second Floor???!!! do any one have a 200 plus gallon reef on the second floor? is it safe ? anyhelp appreciated thanks

11-22-2008, 04:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
SeaLover Scopas Tang Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 469 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Tank On Second Floor???!!! lol...I bet you need to find out how ur house was built and how much the flooring can hold. I know my husband barely let me have my 75 gallon when it was on the second floor. now on the first. The house we live in now is built 16 on center. __________________ 75 Gallon Reef (Established 6: years old) Salinity 1.026 (Refractometer) DKH-8 P.H-8.1 Calcium-450 ppm Magnesium-1400 Lighting-48 inch 2 150 W HQI 10,000k 4 65 w pc Actinics Lunar lights 1 Maroon Clown, 1 Blue Tang, 1 Royal Gramma. Pulsating Xenia's, frogspawn, asst mushrooms, neon green recordia, pom pom xenia's, button polyps, green star polyps, bubble coral and few different types of zoa's. (Eagle eyes, Orange Bam bam's, Leprechaun eyes, yellow sunflowers)

11-22-2008, 05:32 PM	#3 (permalink)
ReefGuy69 Harlequin Tuskfish Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 934 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Tank On Second Floor???!!! I remember about 1yr ago someone looking into the same thing. From what i remember they were told as long as its an outside wall you should be ok. or if you can find a supporting beam or post used for the inner walls, but that could be tricky. So i think the last person went with an outside wall. Is this your own home or an apartment? If its an apartment i would say dont even attempt it. Sooner or later you will get a leak, or overfill or get a stray hose or something to flood the lower level. if its your own place and your ok with that then go for it. if not i would go smaller or wait till you get your own place or move to the 1st floor before setting it up. __________________ Dennis ________ http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...journal-3.html 55gal AGA w/ built in overflow 15 gal acrylic DIY sump/fuge 75lbs Fiji Live Rock 45lbs of Live Sand 1-1/2inch (1) 96 watt Super Blue Actinic Power Compact (2) 96 Watt 10,000k Power Compacts (2) Ebo Jager 200 watt heaters Seaclone 150 Skimmer (2) Hagen 50's Power Heads for flow (2) Hagen 70's Power Heads for flow (1) Hagen 70 Return Pump DIY ATO system (5 Gal) Algae Scrubber w/(4) 9watt 67k Bulbs TLF 150 Phosban Reactor 12X turnover rate 1 Ocellaris Clownfish, 1 Firefish, 1 Blue Hippo Tang, 1 Black and White Goby, Neon Green Hairy Mushrooms, Red Zoanthus Polyps, Sand Sifting Starfish, Emerald Crab, Various Snails and Hermits

11-22-2008, 08:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
jski711 Torch coral Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: NW Burbs of Chicago Posts: 571 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Tank On Second Floor???!!! before anything try and find out info on the floor!! 200g+ is a huge tank and i would be hesitant unless if was a new building that has concrete floor!!!

11-22-2008, 09:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
Midnight Torch coral Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 554 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Tank On Second Floor???!!! build it into the wall lol easy fix. __________________ 75 gallon Reef 20 gallon sump 55 gallon fuge My tank http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...llys-reef.html

11-22-2008, 10:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
E46er Bryozoan Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 49 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Tank On Second Floor???!!! its a huge amount of weight over a massive amount of square inches ie my friends 220 G is 6x2x2.5 so its a 12 square foot space 12 square feet is 1728 square inches. 220G times 7.48 is 1646 pounds 1728 / 1645 = 1.0498 pSI now for comparison your 115 pound girly friend or wife wearing high heels or stilettos with lets say a heel that is 1 square inch and for stilettos its probably a 1/4 inch but at 1 square inch heel your looking at 115 psi have your lady friend walk on your floor in heels unless the heels break threw your fine

11-22-2008, 10:21 PM	#7 (permalink)
Smiley1 Ricordea Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: CA Posts: 196 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Tank On Second Floor???!!! serious things you need to think about.... location of load bearing walls. direction floor joists are running. foot print of aquarium. keeping these things in mind, you shouldnt have a problem with structural issues unless your hous was built prior to 1970 or so. The psi isnt a big issue as long as your tank isnt placed directly in the center of the room below it. If by chance there is a wall directly under the tank, then you will have no issues period. you will even have a great spot to run plumbing to the basement for a sump if you so desire. one thing that stops most people from putting an aquarium on the second floor is the fact that dragging all that water up stairs to do water changes over a period of time will make you reconsider the second floor. If its a 10g aquarium, then you wont even think about it. but when you get to bigger tanks and bigger water changes.... that 50 gallons of water in 10 jugs of 5g each will equal about 5 trips up and down stairs just to lug the water up. Also think about the problem that if you plumbing breaks and pumps water all over the floor, you are not only damaging the floor, but the ceiling of the room below, its floor, and whatever else it may come in contact with. And let me tell you...... replacing drywall on a ceiling really sucks. __________________ my hobby my other hobby

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